Gods and Company Read the Lightning Thief
by Radiant Arabian Nights
Summary: The Gods of the past get a surprise when a group of demigods land in the middle of their throne room. Another flash and a book and a letter explaining what is happening appears. How will the Gods handle finding out about what happens in the future? Starts with the Lightning Thief…
1. Chapter 1: Gathering

**Disclaimer: All Characters belong to their original owners.**

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**The writing in ALL writing in black belongs to Rick Riordan. **

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**Author's Note: I am Handicapped so please bare that in mind if my spelling is off. I use spell checker. I also have a slight mental disability so please excuse any mistakes. I do the best I can with writing these stories and trying to post chapters. Also I am a very sick person so their will be periods where I don't update. But ALL my stories will be updated eventually.**

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**Merry Christmas**

**and have**

**a Happy New Year**

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**Introduction**

The Gods of the past get a surprise when a group of demigods land in the middle of their throne room. Another flash and a book and a letter explaining what is happening appears. How will the Gods handle finding out about what happens in the future? Starts with the Lightning Thief…

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**Chapter 1: Gathering**

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The Gods where having their usual winter solace meeting. Zeus was yelling at Hades for killing his daughter. But Hades told him his daughter wasn't _technically_ dead. Yet. So he had nothing to complain about.

"You couldn't even keep you oath!" Hades yells  
"It didn't give you a right to kill my daughter!" Zeus growls

"YOU killed my lover Maria and nearly did my children! And anyway your girl is not dead. Yet", Hades replies

"Is that a threat? What do you mean yet?" Zeus booms while growling

As the brothers continued to argue with Hera glaring at Zeus for cheating on her again.

Other gods where also having arguments. Artemis was yelling at Apollo for calling her his little sis and for flirting with her hunters.  
"I will one day kill you Apollo!" she shouts at him

"Come on little sis lighten up!" Apollo says cheerfully

"Don't. Call. Me. Little. Sis", Artemis growls out

Demeter was talking to Persephone about how she shouldn't be spending too much time with Hades. And how she should eat more cereal.

Aphrodite was fixing her make up while she hid as smirk at her husband Hephaestus and lover Ares arguing. Oh how she loved hearing men fight over her.

Poseidon was thinking about his little boy and wonder what he looked like now. And hoping he was safe. He also worried about Sally. She was a Queen among woman too him.

He was also having the same argument he always had with Athena about Athens.

Hermes was on his phone sending out messages too his workers. But he was also worried about his son. Luke was so angry at him. Hermes hated the fact he couldn't be with his children. He did hope that someday they could repair their bonds.

Dionysus was snoring on his throne with a wine magazine in his lap.

Hestia just watched on. She could only do that watch. But every meeting normal left her with a headache.

Suddenly a bright flash of light fills the throne room. The Gods jump up to see a group of many teens and a satyr had landed in a pile on the floor.

"Get off me!"

"What did you do!?"

"Death Breath if you don't get off my THIS SECOND I'LL KILL YOU"

"Hold up Pinecone face it is not my fault!"

"What did you do Seaweed Brain?"

"It wasn't me I swear Wise Girl!"

"For the love of Gods shut up!"

"How dare you interrupt this meeting!" Zeus booms to the group

The group all turn to the Gods. All looking nervous.

"Who are you?" Athena asks

"What do you mean?" a dark haired teen asks  
"What I just said", Athena replies annoyed

"But you know us!" the teen says

"Umm one question do you recognise any off us?" a teenage girl with blonde hair and grey eyes asks

"No should we?" Athena replies

"Shit", the girl curses

"What is going on Wise Girl?" the dark haired teen asks

"Look around. This is NOT the throne room I designed!" the blonde teen states

The whole group looks around and curse quickly colourfully in Greek and was that Latin?

"How did we get here?" a bulky looking guy who looked part Chinese asks

Suddenly there was another flash of light and they see a note and a book in the middle off the floor.

"Just a hunch. But that might explain something", another dark haired teen with pale skin suggests

The blonde haired girl picks it up and reads it out load.

_Hello, Demigods of my Time and my Family of the past,_

_I have decided because of everything that has happened that we needed to communicate more._

_And these books that will appear is the best way._

_Honesty it wasn't just my idea! Blame Hecate too! And Athena might had put the idea in my head after commenting about how these things could have been avoided if we just communicated more with each other and out demigod children._

_So don't just blame me!_

_These books will appear one after the other. They are about a certain demigods life. Best way you can ask me to know what has happened is from him. Since he had been in the thick of it._

_Even through he might try and kill me when he realises it is him. Did you know he has a killer death glare? Oh right you're the past you don't. But be warned you will probably see it! The only people the can equal his death glare are his cousins and siblings in all but blood._

_Honestly those three act like siblings! So be warned about their __little__ arguments. The last time they argued they destroyed a clearing in a forest with lightning, flooded a river and nearly impaled each other with swords or spear. So just keep that in mind._

_Have fun!_

_From the most Awesome God Ever_

_Apollo_

_PS: Demigods you better introduce yourselves! Good luck with that! Especially my favourite Trio of Cousins._

There was silence. Before the dark-haired blue-green eyes teen, the black hair and onyx eyed teen, and the black haired electric blue eyed teen look at each other.  
"I am going to _murder_ him", the girl growls

"You would think being turned mortal would be enough for him", the onyx eyed teen says

"How about we let Meg do that?" the blue-green eyes boy suggests

"Enough you three of planning murder. You can do this when we _eventually_ get home. And Meg will help you", the blonde girl says

"You bet I will!" a girl with glasses growls

"Well your from our future?" Hera asks trying to get this started

"Yes. All thanks to Apollo", one says

All the Gods look at a certain Sun God.

"Don't look at me! I haven't even done anything yet!" Apollo exclaims raising his hands in surrender

"The key word being yet", Artemis mutters glaring at her twin

"Why don't you all introduce yourselves?" Athena asks taking everyone's attention of the Sun God

"Alright. I am Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Councillor of the Athena Cabin. Offical Architect of Olympus", the blonde hair girl who spoke the most so far says

Athena smiles at her it was good to know her daughter had grown up. But Athena frowns what does Offical Architect of Olympus mean?

"I am Travis…"

"….and I'm Conner Stroll. Co-Councillors of the Hermes Cabin"

"We are sons of Hermes!" the twins say

Hermes grins at his sons happy they were here. But where was Luke?"

"Chris Rodriguez. Son of Hermes", Chris says

Hermes was shocked three of his sons where here.  
"Clarisse La Rue. Daughter of Ares. Councillor of the Ares Cabin", Clarisse tells them

Ares smirks at his daughter. Proud at the little squirt.

"I'm Katie Gardner. Daughter of Demeter. Councillor of the Demeter Cabin", Katie says

"I am Will Solace. Son of Apollo. Councillor of the Apollo Cabin", Will says looking nervously at his furious boyfriend who was with his cousins and glaring at Apollo.

Will wondered how long his father would live for once they got home.

"Leo Valdez. Son of Hephaestus. Councillor of the Hephaestus Cabin and the most awesome demigod at your service!" Leo says grinning widely

The girl next to him hits his head,

"Sorry about him. I am his girlfriend Calypso", Calypso says nervously at the gods

"How did you…", Zeus starts growling

"It will probably be explained", Annabeth cuts him off

"I am Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite. Councillor of the Aphrodite Cabin", Piper says

Aphrodite grins seeing her daughter.

"How is your father?" Aphrodite asks her  
"Been better", Piper replies coldly

"Pollux. Son of Dionysus. Councillor of the Dionysus Cabin", Pollux replies

Dionysus eyed his son and wondered where Pollux's twin Castor was.

"Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. Daughter of Bellona. Former Praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Current Hunter of Artemis", Reyna says

"Greeks and Romans together!" Zeus booms angrily

"Husband calm down. I am sure it is explained", Hera tells him

Zeus grumbles but back down.

"Leila Summers. Daughter of Ceres", Leila states

"Gwen St'James. Legacy of Trivia", Gwen states

"Frank Zhang. Son of Mars, Legacy of Poseidon. Current Praetor of the Twelfth Legion", Frank says standing straight

Ares flickers from his Greek to Roman form for a minute.  
"Hazel Levesque. Daughter of Pluto. Current Praetor of the Twelfth Legion", Hazel says from her spot with Frank

"But you died", Hades says looking at his daughter

"Well sometimes death doesn't…stick", Hazel replies nervously

Hades looks puzzled by that statement.

"Grover Underwood. Ah Lord of the Wild", Grover says nervously'

"Lord of the Wild?" the Gods shout

"You will find out", Annabeth says tiredly

"I'm Meg McCaffrey. Daughter of Demeter. And the reason Apollo hasn't died. Yet", Meg states smirking at the confused Apollo of this time

"What do you mean?" Apollo asks confused

"You will probably find out. Why spoil the fun?" Meg asks smirking glad to be getting _some_ pay back at Apollo.

But the Apollo from her time would still _die_ maybe. If she could convince the Big Three Kids now to do it. Not to mention the Artemis from her time. But convincing them probably _wouldn't _be a issue.

"You know you have a list off people that will want to kill you when we get back?" Meg asks the current Apollo smirking

"What do you mean? List?" Apollo asks

"If those three", she points at the three teens all with black hair who were glaring at the Sun God, "Don't kill you. Then probably Artemis or Me will"

Apollo didn't look worried.

"They wouldn't do anything would they?" Apollo asks

That caused laughter from the demigods that had introduced themselves.

"Your kidding right?" Conner asks choking on a laugh

"Who are you three?" Apollo asks

The three teens look at each other and suddenly smirk to each other Evilly. Having a conversation with their eyes. Seeming to come to a silent agreement.

The shorter boy pulls out a curved sword that showed everyone exactly who his parent was.

"I am Nico di Angelo. Ghost King, Lieutenant, Ambassador and Heir of my Father Lord Hades, King of the Underworld, God of the Dead and Riches. Full little brother of the former Hunter Bianca di Angelo. Half-Brother of Praetor Hazel Levesque. Cousin of these two hotheads", Nico announces smirking at the shocked expressions

"Hades! How is he alive?" Zeus booms angrily

"I put him and his sister in the Lotus Casino. So they are safe from you!" Hades replies, "Son where is your sister?"

"You will find out Dad", Nico replies trying not to let it out she was long gone

"Did you say cousins?" Zeus asks eyeing the other two.

It couldn't be.

"Yep!" Nico says popping the 'p', "Pinecone Face, Kelp Head you two better introduce yourselves"

The Gods look confused at the nicknames. But Athena her suspicions about the boy though. The girl pulls out a spear that crackles with electricity showing exactly who her parent was.

"I am Thalia Grace. Daughter of Zeus, Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. Big Sister of the former Jason Grace former Praetor of Rome. Cousin of these two knuckle heads and idiots", Thalia tells them

"How?" Zeus asks confused at how she was standing here

Everyone else was confused too. Wasn't she meant to be a tree?

"Lieutenant? What about Zoe?" Artemis asks worried

"You will find out soon", Thalia replies to both questions

"That leaves you", Athena says looking at the last boy who was close to her daughter

The boy takes out a pen and clicks it. Showing a familiar sword.  
"I am Perseus Jackson. Son of Poseidon. Councillor of the Poseidon Cabin. And a whole lot of other titles. But cousin/sibling of Thalia and Nico", Percy replies with a smile

"POSEIDON YOU BROKE YOUR OATH!" Zeus booms lightning flashing around Olympus.

"You had TWO children brother in BOTH aspects. So don't you dare lecture me", Poseidon growls the earth shaking.

"Is it just I or has anyone else noticed I'm the only one that hasn't broken that stupid oath?" Hades asks mildly amused

The brothers glare at their older smug brother.

"Just saying", Hades says smirking, quite pleased with himself

"Damn. Thanks Dad now I owe a few Gods drachmas", Hermes groans

"So do I. Damn it Dad couldn't you keep it in your pants?" Apollo groans too

"You were beating on me!" Zeus yells at his sons

"Of course not", Hermes and Apollo says innocently

"I think we better get started", Athena says changing the topic so her idiotic brothers didn't get hit with a lightning bolt.

"Lets see this book", Annabeth agrees and picks it up

She groans looking at the title. Oh Percy was going to _love_ this. If he wasn't going to kill Apollo before he WAS now.  
"What is it?" Percy asks

"Oh your not going to be happy", Annabeth tells her boyfriend

"Why?" Percy asks

Annabeth takes a deep breath and reads the title.

'**Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief'**

Laughter came from the demigods. But nobody laughed louder then Thalia and Nico.

"We are going to get SO much blackmail on him", Thalia exclaims laughing hard  
"Oh I am going to worship Apollo. Whatever he wants when we get back is his", Nico says laughing load as he and Thalia high five

"I agree. This just saved his life", Thalia says laughing

Percy just knew _one_ thing. Well _two_. First this was going to be pure torture.

And two…

He was going to _murder_ a certain Sun God!

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**Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)**


	2. Chapter 2: I Am Going To Kill Apollo

**The writing in ALL writing in black belongs to Rick Riordan. **

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**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope Everyone has a better 2020**

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**Chapter 2: I Am Going To Kill Apollo**

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Percy was going to _murder _Apollo. Just he waits till they get back to their time. Apollo better hid if he wants to live.

"Who wants to read first?" Reyna asks

"I will", Annabeth says opening the book

**Chapter 1: **

**I Accidentally Vaporize My Maths Teacher**

"What a title for a first chapter! What did you do seaweed brain?" Thalia asks

**Look, I didn't want to be a Half-Blood.**

"This says my thoughts?" Percy exclaims  
Thalia and Nico burst into laughter.

"Oh this will be good", Nico says laughing

"We get to see what goes through his brain!" Thalia says smirking

All the other demigods were smirking too.

"I am going to KILL Apollo", Percy mutters

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your Mum or Dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

"Yeh like we _ever_ could", Clarisse mutters

The Gods look sadly at their children. They wondered what happened too them. They all looked older then their years in their eyes.

**Being a Half-Blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

"I know what that is like", Hazel says

Hades looks sadly at his daughter.

"Yeh dying is not fun", Leo agrees

Hephaestus looks curiously at his son. Wondering what had happened.

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages – if you feel something stirring inside – stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And Once you know that, it's only a matter of time before **_**they**_** sense it too, and they'll come for you. **

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"That would be great a warning", Chris mutters

**My name is Percy Jackson.**

**I'm twelve years old. **

'_So this is only a couple of years away', _Poseidon thinks

**Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York. **

**Am I a troubled kid?**

"You have always been troubled Kelp Head", Thalia says snickering

"You were in trouble the day I met you", Grover replies

"Thanks man", Percy replies glaring at Grover

**Yeah. You could say that.**

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan – twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at Ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"That would be interesting", Annabeth says

**I know – it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.**

**But Mr Brunner, our Latin Teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.**

"Chiron!" the demigods explain

**Mr Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. **

"That would be the best class ever!" Conner exclaims

"It would be our dream class!" Travis adds

**He also had this awesome collection of Roman Armour and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

"We need to talk to Chiron about that. He shouldn't have _Roman_ armour with him", Athena says

"It WILL be something we bring up with him", Zeus agrees

**I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

**Boy, was I wrong.**

**See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.**

Hermes and Apollo burst out laughing.

"How do you accidently hit a school bus?" Thalia asks laughing

"A Revolutionary Cannon?" Nico chuckles

'_I am going to KILL Apollo'_, Percy thinks

**And before thar, at my fourth-grade school. When we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.**

Apollo, Hermes, Thalia and Nico collapse in laughter.

"Uncle P your kid is pure gold", Apollo says laughing

"This has to be our favourite kid of yours yet!" Hermes exclaims laughing

"We should try that!' Conner and Travis exclaim

"You're worse then Apollo!" Meg exclaims

Percy groans he wasn't going to live this down. Apollo was so dead.

**And the time before that . . . Well you get the idea.**

"Ohhh no more?" Thalia pouts wanting more blackmail

"I want to hear more about those trips. Couldn't Apollo add that?" Nico pouts

'_I will kill him', _Percy thinks

**This trip, I was determined to be good.**

**All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly red-headed kleptomaniac girl. Hitting my best friend, Grover, in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.**

"What! How dare she!?" Annabeth and Thalia growl

"Guys I'm fine", Grover tells the girls

His heart warmed at their defence of him.

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.**

"You try hiding your realm legs", Grover complains, "That is what I hate about going undercover at schools"

"Really you run for Enchilada day?" Katie asks

"Hey! They are Enchilada's!" Grover exclaims defending himself

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The Headmaster had threatened me with death-by-in-school suspension if anything bad embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

"Death by-in-school suspension what does that mean?" Poseidon asks

"Don't worry about it Dad", Percy tells him

"**I'm going to kill her", I mumbled **

**Grover tried to calm me down.**

"**It's okay. I like peanut butter", Grover says**

"Do you like peanut butter?" Pollux asks curiously

Grover doesn't answer but blushes.

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.**

"**That's it", I started to get up**

**But Grover pulled me back to my seat.**

"How did you do that Grover?" Annabeth asks  
"What do you mean?" Apollo asks curiously

"When Percy is furious it is hard to budge him", Frank replies

"Actually Thalia and Nico are the same way", Clarisse tells them

"Don't get on the wrong side of those three!" Hazel tells the gods chuckling

"They have explosive tempers", Annabeth adds

"**You're already on probation", he reminded me, "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens"**

**Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit.** **Right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

"What happened?" Poseidon asks worried

Percy did a discreet glance at Hades.

'_This will go down so well'_, Percy thinks

"Ahh you better just let Annabeth read it", Percy replies

**Mr Brunner led the museum tour.**

**He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.**

**It blew my mind that this stuff survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

**He gathered us around a four-metre-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a **_**stele**_**, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

"She has to be a monster", Artemis states

"That Nancy Bobofit could be one too", Apollo adds

"It bis likely she is", Leila states

**Mrs Dodds was this little maths teacher from Georg****ia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when the last teacher had a nervous breakdown.**

'_Why do I get a bad feeling about this?' _Hades thinks

**From her first day, Mrs Dodds loved Nancy Bobofits and figured I was devil spawn.**

**She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now honey", in a real sweet, and I know I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**

'_Why does this sound familiar?' _Hades and Nico think

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old maths workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs Dodds was human. He looked at me real serious and said, "You're absolutely right"**

"Grover why did you say that?" Annabeth groans

"I know! I wasn't thinking", Grover replies

**Mr Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**

**Finally Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the **_**stele**_**, and I turned around and said, "Will you **_**shut up?"**_

**It came our loafer than I meant it to.**

**The whole group laughed. Mr Brunner stopped his story.**

"**Mr Jackson", he said, "did you have a comment?"**

**My face was totally red. **

**I said, "No, sir"**

**Mr Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the **_**stele.**_

"**Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"**

**I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it.**

"What you can remember something?" Clarisse asks smirking

"I do know things Clarisse", Percy replies

"Sure Kelp Head", Nico replies

"**That's Kronos eating his kids, right?'**

"Oh that wasn't a pleasant experience", Demeter shudders

"Neither was coming out", Hera shudders

"We don't need to hear that", Gwen says shuddering.

"**Yes", Mr Brunner said, obviously not satisfied, "And he did this because. . ."**

"**Well . . .", I racked my brain to remember, "Kronos was the King God, and –" **

"King! God!" Zeus shouts angrily, lighting flashing

"I am sure he will amend that", Hestia says calming

'_Apollo if I survive you are dead', _Percy thinks hoping _he_ wouldn't get vaporized

"**God?" Mr Brunner asked**

"**Titan", I corrected myself, "And . . . he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um. Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his Dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters –"**

Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon shutter remembering that.

"**Eee!" said one of the girls behind me**

"Try living it", Hades mutters

"**-and so there was this big fight between the Gods and Titans", I continued, "and the gods won"**

"You summarized one of the biggest fights into just a few words Seaweed Brain", Annabeth says sighing and shaking her head

"In my defence I was 12! And didn't know it was real yet!" Percy defends himself

**Some snickers from the group.**

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids;"'**

"**And why, Mr Jackson", Mr Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent questions, does this matter in real life?"**

"**Busted", Grover muttered**

"**Shut up", Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.**

**At least Nancy got in trouble, too. Mr Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong, He had a radar ears.**

"More like horses", Meg mutters

**I thought about his question, and shrugged, "I don't know, sir"**

"**I see", Mr Brunner looked disappointed, "Well, half credit, Mr Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The Gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

"Who would want to eat after that?" Leo asks gagging

Calypso whacks his head.

"Behave", she tells him

**The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guy pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.**

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr Brunner said, "Mr Jackson"**

**I knew that was coming.**

**I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned towards Mr Brunner. **

"**Sir?"**

**Mr Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go – intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.**

"That's because he IS over a thousand years old and seen everything. Kelp for Brains", Thalia tells him

"Like I said I didn't know!" Percy says with a sigh

"**You must learn the answer to my question", Mr Brunner told me**

"**About the Titans?"**

"**About real life. And how your studies apply to it"**

"**Oh"**

"**What you learn from me", he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you Percy Jackson"**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool o tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman Armour and shouted: 'What ho!' and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I never made above a C- in my life.**

"C-?!" Athena and Annabeth yell scandalises

Percy groans he was _so _killing Apollo.

**No – he didn't expect me to be **_**as good;**_** he expected me to be **_**better**_**. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr Brunner took one long sad look at the **_**stele, **_**like he'd been at this girls funeral.**

**He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

"He probably _had_ been at the girls funeral", Annabeth mutters

**The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

**Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city.**

"What are you so mad about Pops?" Hermes asks

"How would I know? This hasn't happened yet", Zeus replies

**I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.**

All the Gods look at Zeus and Poseidon.

"What on earth are you two fighting about now?" Hera asks with a tired smile

"How would we know?" Poseidon asks

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a Lady's bag, and, of course, Mrs Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.**

**Grover and I sat on the edge of the Fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from **_**that **_**school – the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

"**Detention?" Grover asks**

"**Nah", I said, "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean – I'm not a genius"**

**Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, **

**He said, "Can I have your apple?"**

"Grover", Annabeth and Thalia groan

Grover blushes.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it. I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my Mom's Apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

"None of us can stand that look", Thalia comments

"She had that look down pat", Nico agrees

"You just never want to disappoint her", Annabeth agrees

"I have noticed that too", Meg comments

Poseidon looked at the demigods and wondered how they ALL knew Sally.

**Mr Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while reading a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized café table.**

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends – I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists – and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

"**Oops", she grinned at me with her crooked teeth.**

**Her freckles were orange, as if someone had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**

"I really hate that girl", Thalia growls

**I tired to stay cool. The school councillor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper"**

"Does that even work?" Apollo asks

"No", the Big Three Cousins all say

**But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.**

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

"He is defiantly your son", Zeus says to Poseidon

**Mrs Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see –" **

"**-the water-"**

"**-like it grabbed her-"**

**I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**

**As soon as Mrs Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift stop, etc., etc., Mrs Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire I her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester.**

"**Now, honey –"**

"**I know", I grumbled, "A month erasing textbooks"**

"Nooo don't say that!" Apollo exclaims

"It is like the first rule in the book!" Hermes exclaims

"Book?" Athena asks at her brothers

"Yeh the book of getting in trouble", Apollo says grinning

Artemis smacks his head.

"What was that for?" Apollo asks his sister

"Figure it out", Artemis replies glaring at her twin

**That wasn't the right thing to say.**

"**Come with me", Mrs Dodds said**

"**Wait!" Grover yelped, "It was me. **_**I **_**pushed her"**

**I stared at him stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me, Mrs Dodds scared Grover to death,**

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

"**I don't think so, Mr Underwood", she said**

"**But –"**

"**You – **_**will**_** – stay – here"**

**Grover looked at me desperately.**

"**It's okay, man", I told him, "Thanks for trying"**

"**Honey", Mrs Dodds barked at me, "**_**Now" **_

'_Oh shit. I think I know her', _Hades thinks

**Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

**I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. I then turned to face Mrs Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast?**

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school councillor told me this was part of ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.**

**I wasn't so sure.**

**I went after Mrs Dodds.**

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr Brunner, like he wanted Mr Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

**I looked back up. Mrs Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.**

**But apparently that wasn't the plan. **

**I followed for deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

**Except for us, the gallery was empty.**

**Mrs Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek Gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

Hades and Nico look at each other. Knowing her she was now.

'_Poseidon is going to kill me', _Hades thinks

He discreetly puts his armour on. Nico looks at him with concern. But Hades just shakes his head.

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it . . .**

"**You've been giving us problems, honey", she said**

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, Ma'am"**

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

**She'a a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

**I said, "I'll – I'll try harder, Ma'am"**

**Thunder shook the building.**

"**We are not fools, Percy Jackson", Mrs Dodds said, "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain"**

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room.**

Hermes, Apollo, Conner and Travis snicker at that.

**Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on **_**Tom Sawyer**_** from the internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

"Really Percy?" Annabeth asks him

"As I said Wise Girl I was 12!" Percy replies, "I hated school. Didn't help with dyslexia and ADHD"

All the demigods look at him with understanding.

The Gods wondered if it really was so bad to be a demigod in school.

"**Well?" she demanded**

"**Ma'am, I don't . . ."**

"**Your time is up", she hissed**

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shrivelled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

Poseidon gripped his throne in fear for his son.

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

"**What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air**

**Mrs Dodds lunged at me.**

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen any more. It was a sword – Mr Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

**Mrs Dodds spun towards me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me.**

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

"Naturally!" the demigods exclaim looking at Percy

"It just felt right", Percy replies shrugging

"Only you Perce", Will says

"I am glad to know you with those instincts", Piper tells him

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. **_**Hisss!**_

**Mrs Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulphur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowering red eyes were still watching me.**

**I was alone.**

**There was a bullpoint pen in my hand.**

**Mr Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.**

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs Kerr whipped your butt"**

**I said, "Who?"**

"**Our **_**teacher**_**. Duh!"**

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away.**

**I asked Grover where Mrs Dodds was.**

**He said, "Who?"**

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.**

"Grover you suck at lying", Nico tells him

"Travis! Conner! Chris! You three give him lessons", Thalia orders them

"Yes Ma'am", they salute sarcastically

"**Not funny, man'", I told him. "This is serious"**

**Thunder boomed overhead.**

**I saw Mr Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**

**I went over to him.**

**He looked up, a little distracted, "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr Jackson"**

**I handed it over. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.**

"**Sir", I said, "where's Mrs Dodds?"**

**He stared at me blankly, "Who?"**

"**The other chaperone. Mrs Dodds, The maths teacher"**

**He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned.**

"**Percy, there is no Mrs Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"**

"That is how you lie Grover", Clarisse says  
"That is the end of the Chapter", Annabeth announces

"Hades?" Poseidon asks looking at his older brother

"Yes?" Hades replies nervously

"I will KILL you for attacking my son!" Poseidon yell leaping towards Hades with his trident

Hades was trying to protest but he was also busy trying to stop himself getting hurt from his brothers trident.

Zeus was yelling at the two of them to calm down.

Hermes and Apollo were taking bets on who would win with Ares joining in. As Artemis whacked her brothers head again.

Hera and Hestia were trying to calm the situation.

As the demigods watched on.

Percy groans, "I am going to KILL Apollo!"

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)**


	3. Chapter 3: You Met WHO?

**The writing in ALL writing in black belongs to Rick Riordan. **

* * *

**Author's Note 18/2/2020: Today is the 6th Anniversary of my Nan's passing. I dedicate this to her. Love you Nan always.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: You Met WHO?!**

* * *

"Why would you kill me?" Apollo asks

Percy glares at the Sun God.

"I will kill the _future_ version of you", Percy amends

It took Ares and Athena to separate Poseidon and Hades. And Hades had a broken nose and several other wounds. He was cursing angrily in Ancient Greek too.

"Poseidon wins. Pay up Hermes", Apollo announces

Hermes grumbles but hands over the drachmas.

"Dad you will have to calm down. As I can guess these stories will get worse as time goes on", Percy tells him

It DID touch Percy at how much his father cared about him.  
"I am worried about you. And my _brother_ shouldn't have done that", Poseidon growls glaring at Hades.

Who was getting nectar and ambrosia from Persephone.

"Lets continue", Athena suggests turning the attention away from Hades.

"Who wants to read?" Annabeth asks

"I'll do it", Hermes replies taking the book.

**Chapter 3: Three Old Ladies Knit The Socks of Death**

"What is that about?" Leo asks frowning

"Seaweed Brain don't tell me it is _them_", Annabeth groans

"Not commenting", Percy replies

**I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me.**

"That's what you thought?" Grover asks Percy

"Well it seemed like it", Percy replies  
"Maybe we could do something like that", Nico suggests to Thalia

Thalia smirks, "Definably"

"Don't you two dare!" Percy replies glaring at his cousins/brother and sister.

"Stop you three. Lord Hermes you better continue", Annabeth suggests

**The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs Kerr – a perky blonde woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip – had been our maths teacher since Christmas.**

"That would have been strange", Calypso states

"I can empathise with you", Piper tells her Percy

That reminded people that Piper had, had her memory tampered with.

**Every so often I would spring a Mrs Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was a psycho.**

**It got so I almost believed them – Mrs Dodds had never existed.**

**Almost.**

"Why couldn't you go with it Perce?" Grover groans

"He has _never_ been one to do that", Clarisse points out, "He runs head first into trouble"

There was nods of agreement from ALL the demigods. Including Leila, Gwen, Reyna of the Romans.

"Traitors", Percy mutters to them

Poseidon was worried at that. Did his son really run head first into trouble?

"He is also the first one to defend someone or the Camp", Thalia adds

The Gods looked at the Son of Poseidon wondering if what the demigods said was true.

"What did you mean almost?" Reyna asks

Percy just looks at the blushing Grover.

**But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, than claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.**

"Of course it was Grover", Thalia groans

"Like we said you need lying lessons", Annabeth tells her blushing satyr friend.

"I have gotten better", Grover protests

Everyone looks at him and raises an eyebrow.

"Traitors", Grover mutters

Percy smirks at Grover. Now he knew how he felt.

**Something was going on. Something **_**had**_** happened at the museum.**

**I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake up in cold sweat.**

**The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy.**

"If you hurt my son Zeus I will make you pay", Poseidon growls at his brother

"I'm fine Dad", Percy says again

"This feud must be big", Artemis says

"Oh it was", Annabeth replies

"What _were_ they fighting about?" Apollo asks curiously

"You will find out", the Greek Demigods say together

Annoying the Gods.

"Why didn't we know something was up?" Gwen asks

"Don't know", Annabeth replies shrugging

**One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.**

All the Gods looked at the too brothers.

"You too are _really_ going at it. Wish I knew what was going on", Hades states

**I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grade slipped from Ds to Fs.**

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth exclaims

Athena too look scandalous.

"I was under a lot of pressure", Percy says trying to defend himself

Thalia and Nico snickered at him. Percy gives them the stink eye.

**I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.**

**Finally, when our English teacher, Mr Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.**

Hermes and Apollo laugh at that. Thalia and Nico were snickering again.

Percy glares and summons water and dumps it on their heads. They sputtered under all the water.

"Kelp Brain dry me off right now!" Thalia growls

"Perce what was that for?" Nico asks dripping wet

"Live with it", Percy replies smirking

"You get this _one_. But three strikes is all you get", Thalia replies

Everyone was amused by the trio. Athena took pity on them and dried them off.

"Thank you Lady Athena", Nico says

"Thanks", Thalia says

"Lets continue", Demeter suggests

**The headmaster sent my Mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.**

**Fine, I told myself. Just Fine.**

**I was homesick.**

**I wanted to be with my Mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.**

Poseidon's eyes narrow. If this man hurt Percy _or_ Sally he would die.

Artemis's eyes narrowed too. That didn't sound good.

**And yet . . . there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. **

"Just a little strange?" Conner and Travis snicker

**I worried how he'd survive next year. **

**I'd miss Latin class, too – Mr Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.**

**As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.**

"Good. It will keep you alive", Athena nods

"Actually Percy's instincts are always right", Annabeth admits

"I hate to admit it by she is right. Prissy is the best with instincts", Clarisse admits

"We noticed that too. On our quest with him to Alaska", Hazel adds with Frank nodding.

"Thanks", Percy tells them

"That is _all _your right about", Nico tells him

Percy once again summons water and dumps it on Nico.  
"Come on! Enough of that! I was stating the truth!" Nico states only to get _more_ water dumped on him.

Annabeth just rolls his eyes.

Hermes clears his throat and starts reading again.

**That evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the **_**Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology**_** across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon.**

"That explains what you did on the first quest", Annabeth says to Percy

"What did he do?" Thalia asks curiously

"You will find out. But Percy is not very good with names", Annabeth replies

Percy groans if this book showed that conversation with Charon everyone was going to make fun off it. He was going to kill Apollo.

**Or Polydictes and Polyeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.**

**I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.**

**I remembered Mr Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. **_**I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**_

**I took a deep breath. I picked up my mythology book.**

**I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat 'F' I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.**

Annabeth gives Percy a soft look.

"He would have seen it Seaweed Brain", Annabeth tells him

"Maybe. But he was the best teacher I had", Percy replies shrugging

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr Brunner's door was ajar, **

"You spied on Chiron!" Travis exclaims smirking

"We are so proud off you", Conner adds smirking

Percy rolls his eyes.

"Like you two haven't done it", Katie replies for Percy

The Twins just shrug still smirking.

**Light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**

**I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr Brunner asked a question. A voice that definitely Grover's said, ". . . worried about Percy, sir"**

**I froze.**

**I'm not usually an eavesdropper, **

"Sure your not", Thalia snorts rolling her eyes.

Percy splashed her with water. Thalia growls at him.

"Keep it up Kelp for Brains", Thalia growls

**But I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.**

**I inched closer.**

"**. . . alone this summer", Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the **_**school!**_** Now that we know for sure, and **_**they**_** know too –"**

"**We would only make matters worse by rushing him", Mr Brunner said, "We need the boy to mature more"  
**"We would be waiting a while", Nico comments

"He still hasn't matured!" Thalia comments

Again water was splashed on them. Thalia growls and sends a small spark of lightning at him which he dodges.

"You need better aim", Percy comments  
"I'll show you better aim!" Thalia growls jumping up ready to leap at her cousin.

"Thalia enough!" Annabeth says pulling her friend away

"Next time he WILL get it", Thalia promises glaring at her _favourite_ cousin.

Zeus looks proud of his daughter.

The other Olympians were wearily. It looked like Thalia had the temper of her father in her.

"**But he may not have time. The Summer Solstice deadline –"**

"Deadline?" Hephaestus mumbles looking at the others

They all look confused too.

"**Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can"**

"**Sir, he **_**saw**_** her . . ."**

"**His imagination", Mr Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that"**

"**Sir, I . . . I can't fail in my duties again", Grover's voice was choked with emotion.**

"Grover it was NOT your fault", Annabeth tells him gently hand on his shoulder

Zeus growls at that. Thalia glares at her Dad.

"Grover listen to me", Thalia says making him look at her, "It was MY choice to stay behind. It was MY choice to tell you to get Luke and Annabeth to safety. Imagine if they stayed. Annabeth probably wouldn't be here"

Grover sniffs, "Probably but I still failed you"

Thalia, Annabeth _and Percy_. Roll their eyes like they had, had this conversation many times before. Thalia whacks his head.

"IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! If you say it is again I'll shock you!" Thalia threatens

Grover cowers away from Thalia.

"Got it?" Thalia asks

"Yes. Absolutely", Grover stutters

"And if ANYONE continues to blame Grover they will get a BIGGER shock and feel my spear!" Thalia threatens looking at her father as her eyes darken.

Zeus grumbles. But the look in his daughters eye was something he was unnerved by.

"**You know what that would mean"**

"**You haven't failed, Grover", Mr Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Noe lets just worry about keeping Percy alive until autumn –" **

**The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.**

Apollo and Hermes wince.

"Bad move Percy", Hermes says stopping his reading

"Rockie mistake", Apollo adds

**Mr Brunner went silent.**

**My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.**

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.**

**I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.**

**A few seconds later a slow **_**clop-clop-clop, **_**like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large dark shape paused in front of the glass then moved on.**

**A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.**

**Somewhere in the hallway, My Brunner spoke.**

"**Nothing", he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the Winter Solstice"**

"Even Chiron was feeling it?" Demeter asks  
"That IS big", Athena says  
"So whatever happened. Happened at the Winter Solstice and a deadline for _what_ is the Summer Solstice?" Artemis asks

The Greek Demigods look at each other. If only they knew.

"**Mine either", Grover said. "But I could have sworn . . ."**

"**Go back to the dorm", Mr Brunner told him, "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow"**

"**Don't remind me"**

**The lights went out in Mr Brunner's office.**

**I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.**

**Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.**

**Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.**

"**Hey", he said, bleary-eyed, "You going to be ready for this test?"**

**I didn't answer.**

"**You look awful", he frowned, "Is everything okay?"**

"**Just . . . tired"**

**I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.**

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.**

**But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.**

"Sorry Perce. But I was worried", Grover says

"I forgive you man. I understand now", Percy assures him

"I can't believe you heard that!" Grover tells him  
"Well I did. And it kind of freaked me out", Percy replies

"That's what happens when you eavesdrop", Reyna butts him

"Thanks Reyna like I hadn't figured that one out", Percy mutters

**The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr Brunner called me back inside.**

**For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.**

"**Percy", he said, "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's . . . it's for the best"**

**His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.  
**The Demigods wince. Poor Percy.

"That wasn't the proper place and he could phrase that differently", Poseidon starts frowning

"You can't change the past Dad", Percy tells him

"Except we are the past to you", Hera states

Percy just shrugs.

**I mumbled, "Okay, sir"**

"**I mean . . .", Mr Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time"**

**My eyes stung.**

"He didn't mean it like that", Annabeth tells him taking his hand.

"He could have said that better", Chris states

**Here was my favourite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.**

"**Right", I said, trembling**

"**No, No", Mr Brunner said, "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say . . . you're not normal, Percy That's nothing to be –"**

"Chiron", Annabeth groans

"**Thanks", I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me"**

"**Percy –"**

**But I was already gone.**

"Your by far his favourite student. He would be kicking himself for that conversation", Annabeth says softly

"She is right. You're his favourite", Katie says smiling gently

"It pains me to agree", Clarisse states

"I know he didn't mean it like it sounded. But I was 12!" Percy states

"And had self-esteem issues", Nico mutters

Percy glares at him pointedly, "Who _has_ self-esteem issues?"

"You", Nico says innocently

Percy again summons water and dumps it on him.

"Damn it Percy! I'm going to…"

Hermes quickly starts reading again.

**On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.**

**The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were **_**rich**_** juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.**

Poseidon frowns.

"You have us", Thalia states

"You do", Nico agrees

"_Now_ I do", Percy confirms smiling at them

"And your far from a nobody", Chris states

"Just how many titles have you got?" Clarisse asks smirking

The Gods and Romans looked curiously at Percy too.

"I am not even commenting on that. As I hate those titles", Percy replies

"Like the slayer of the Minotaur", Conner states

"The slayer of Medusa", Travis states

"And fought off the Ech…", Conner starts but was shut up by a flood of water.

"Don't you _dare_", Percy growls looking pointedly at his father

Conner pales. Oh right. The Sea God was going to have a fit about that one.

"What was he going to say?" Poseidon asks his eyes narrowing

"Nothing", Conner and Travis replies

"When did you kill the Minotaur and Medusa?" Athena asks curiously

"That probably be told in these books", Percy tells her

"Also the Giant Bane of Neptune's killer", Leila comments

"WHAT!?" Poseidon booms

"You will find out in time", Percy repeats

"Then lets continue", Zeus declares looking at Hermes.

"**They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.**

**What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the autumn.**

"**Oh", one of the guys said, "That's cool"**

**They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.**

**The only person I dreaded saying goodbye to was Grover but, as it turned out I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.**

**During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.**

**Finally I couldn't stand it any more.**

**I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"**

"That gave me a heat attack!" Grover declares

Percy shrugs, "Can you blame me?"

Grover didn't answer that.

**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha – what do you mean?"**

**I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr Brunner the night before the exam.**

**Grover's eye twitched. "Hie much did you hear?"**

"**Oh . . . not much. What's the summer-solstice deadline?"**

"That's what we want to know", Aphrodite states

**He winced. "Look, Percy . . . I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon maths teachers . . ."**

"**Grover –"**

"**And I was telling Mr Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs Dodds, and . . ."**

"**Grover, you're a really, really bad liar"**

All the demigods and some gods snort at that. Grover blushes again.

**His ears turned pink.**

"That is always a dead give away", Thalia states

"Along with the stuttering and over talking", Annabeth adds

"Leave the guy alone", Percy tells them deciding to butt in.

"We love Grover. We were just stating", Thalia replies

**From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer"**

**The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:**

_**Grover Underwood, Keeper**_

_**Half-Blood Hill**_

_**Long Island, New York**_

_**(800) 009-0009**_

"**What's Half –"**

"**Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um . . . summer address"**

**My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be rich as the others at Yancy.**

"**Okay", I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion"**

**He nodded. "Or . . . or if you need me"**

"**Why would I need you?"**

**It came out harsher than I meant it too.**

**Grover blushed right down ro his. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I – I kind of have to protect you"**

**I stared at him.**

**All year long, I'd gotten in fights keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me.**

"Thanks Perce", Grover says smiling at his best friend

"Any time man. Lucky for you eh?" Percy asks amused

"Why?" Thalia asks

"Two words 'Wedding Dress'", Percy states making Annabeth and Clarisse laugh

And Grover to go bright red.

Everyone looked curious at that.  
"What is the story?" Thalia asks with a smirk

"Well…", Percy states but Grover launches himself at Percy covering his mouth.

"Don't you dare", Grover says

"It will probably be told Grover", Annabeth says with only a _little_ regret.

Grover groans and lets Percy go and sits down grumbling.

"**Grover", I said. "What exactly are you protecting me from?"**

**There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.**

**After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.**

**We were on a stretch of country road – no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.**

**The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood-red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice, There were no customers. **

'_Here we go', _Percy thinks looking wearily at his father.

Grover looked nervously at Poseidon too.

**Just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.**

"Please say they are not who I think they are", Poseidon begs his son

Percy couldn't meet his eyes. Annabeth had clutched his hand tight. Even through she knew he had survived.

**I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.**

The gods all look startled and were looking strangely at Percy. But Percy wouldn't look at them. Poseidon was begging for this to be wrong.

"Continue immediately Hermes!" Zeus booms he also was anxious

**All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.**

**The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.**

Poseidon groans at that. He knew it wasn't good.

**I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**

"**Grover?" I said, "Hey, man –"**

"**Tell me they're not looking at you. They are. Aren't they?"**

"**Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"**

"**Nit funny, Percy. Not funny at all"**

**The Old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors – gold and silver, long -bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.**

"**We're getting I the bus", he told me, "Come on"**

"**What?" I said, "It's a thousand degrees in there"**

"**Come on!" he prised open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**

Everyone was holding there breath. Many looked scared and were glancing at Percy every few seconds.

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that **_**snip **_**across four lanes of traffic, Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for – Sasquatch or Godzilla.**

"They cut the string", Poseidon gasps teary eyed

"The Fates", Apollo whispers

Everyone looked at Percy as if he was going to die.

"It wasn't my string", Percy tells them

"Whose was it then?" Athena asks

"I am sure you will find out", Percy replies with sorrow in his eyes

**At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.**

**The passengers cheered.**

"**Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"**

**Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.**

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.**

"**Grover?"**

"**Yeah?"**

"**What are you not telling me?**

**He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"**

"**You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like . . . Mrs Dodds, are they?"**

**His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw"**

"**The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn"**

**He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost – older.**

**He said, "You saw her snip the cord"**

"**Yeah. So?" but even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.**

"**This is not happening", Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time"**

"**What last time?"**

"**Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth"**

"**Grover", I said, because be was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"**

"**Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me"**

**This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**

"**Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked**

**No answer.**

"**Grover – that snipping of yarn. Does that mean somebody is going top die?"**

**He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.**

"That is the end of the chapter", Hermes tells them

There is silence in the throne room. Nobody knowing what to say. Percy decided he needed to break the tension. So he slowly put Riptide ready behind his back. And summoned water again and once again dumped it ALL on Thalia.

"That's it!" Thalia yells drawing her spear

She jumps up and launches herself at him with electricity flowing through her spear. Percy meets her with Ridtide.

"Come on Pinecone Face you can do better than that!" Percy taunts dropping more water on her.  
"Your dead!" Thalia yells chasing him while shooting lightning at him, which he dodged.

Nico was laughing on the ground. Clarisse was smirking. The other demigods had amusement on their faces too.

"Do they do this often?" Athena asks her daughter

"More then you think", Annabeth replies drily

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)**


	4. Chapter 4: Favourite Cousin Who? Photos?

**The writing in ALL writing in black belongs to Rick Riordan. **

* * *

**Updated: 12/4/2020**

* * *

**Happy Easter. Have a Happy and Safe One.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Favourite Cousin Who? Photos?**

* * *

After Thalia had chased Percy around the Throne Room. Causing laughter at their actions with Nico laughing at his cousins antics. But getting involved when Percy dumped another lot of water on him. By accident that time. Not that Nico believed it. Lighting up the gloomy atmosphere with their actions. Just how Percy wanted to happen. Didn't mean it didn't get hurt when Thalia zapped him with lightning and Nico tripping him up with shadows before Annabeth told them to knock it off.

"Who's turn to read?" Clarisse asks after everyone finally settles down.  
"I'll do it", Piper says taking the book and starting.

**Chapter 3: Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Trousers.**

"What kind of chapter title is that?" Clarisse asks snickering

Grover blushes.

**Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.**

"You gave me a heart attack there Perce", Grover reveals

Percy shrugs, "Can you blame me for ditching you?"

"Not really", Grover replies with a sigh, "But what happened next scared me too death"

"What happened?" Poseidon asks worriedly

Percy and Grover share a look. This was going to go down _so_ well.

**I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering, "Why does this always happen?" and, "Why does it always have to be sixth grade?"**

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.**

"**East One Hundred and Fourth and First Avenue", I told the driver.**

"Percy you shouldn't have done that to poor Grover", Annabeth scolds

"In my defence he was freaking me out", Percy tells them

"Big baby", Thalia mutters snickering with Nico snicking too beside her.

Percy rolls his eyes.

"Like you were any better Corpse Breath", Percy tells his _baby_ Cousin.

Nico blushes, "Shut up. Don't say a word"

"We will eventually find out", Travis points out

"These books seem to go through all your adventures", Conner adds

Nico groans maybe he _would_ kill Apollo. He begged whoever was listening this didn't tell his obsession with the Mythomagic Cards.

**A word about my mother, before you meet her.**

**Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck.**

"What do you mean by that?" Poseidon asks worriedly

He truly cared about Sally. She is one of a kind. A Queen among women.

"Lets just say Dad a lot has happened", Percy says vaguely

Piper coughs and continues.

**Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an Uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent High School working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing programme. Then her Uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school in her senior year to take care of him. After he died she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.**

"Jeez Sally has bad luck. Worse than mine", Meg says, "She is such a nice person too"

"She has a Heart of Gold", Thalia says

"Took me and Thals in like we were her own", Nico says smiling

Zeus and Hades wanted to know how their daughter and son got basically taken in by their brothers lover. Did she have an alternative motive or did she truly just care about their children?

But both were jealous at how much love that their kids had for Sally Jackson. Not that they would admit it out load.

**The only good break she ever got was meeting my Dad.**

**I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My Mum doesn't talk about him because it makes her sad. She had no pictures.**

Poseidon looks sad. He never meant to cause Sally pain.

"I am sorry Percy I never meant to cause Sally pain", Poseidon says apologizing

"I know Dad. But back then…well I didn't like seeing my Mum hurt", Percy replies, "She was hurt enough back then"

Poseidon frowns and wonders what that meant.

**See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day. He set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and never came back.**

**Lost at sea, my Mum told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.**

"Well kind of true", Clarisse says

"Not really at the time. Remember Clarisse I didn't now nothing then", Percy starts

"But what is your excuse later?" Nico asks smirking

"What do you mean _cousin_?" Percy asks

"I heard you couldn't even guess who your father was. It was only in Capture the Flag when HE claimed _you_ did you find out", Nico replies smirking

"Oh I heard about that! Kelp Head Annie knew who was your parent basically on your first day!" Thalia says laughing.

"I think everyone knew after what he did to Clarisse", Katie says smirking

"What did he do?" Hazel asks curiously

"Don't any off you dare Prissy!" Clarisse growls

Ares chuckles at the Spawn of Seas nickname. He hoped Clarisse showed the Spawn just how good children of Ares were.

Percy was about to tell because Clarisse called him Prissy when...

Piper coughed to get their attention back on her. No one bothering to tell Clarisse that what Percy did was likely to be in this book.

_Nobody_. Well except Travis and Conner. Wanted to point it out to Clarisse. Chris was trying to distract his girlfriend. He didn't need her spear coming out and attacking Percy. Again. Did they?

**She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her High School diploma, and raised me on her own, She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.**

**Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colours as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like mouldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.**

**Between the two of us, we made my Mum's life pretty hard. The way Smell Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along…well, when I came home is a good example.**

"Percy…did this Gabe abuse you or your Mum?" Poseidon asks carefully

"No", Percy lies

"Lying", Apollo states

Percy hisses at him, "Shut up _cousin_ or when I get back I'll do something to you"

"I am going to kill that bastard", Poseidon growls causing a earthquake through the throne room.

"Dad I'm fine and he gets what he deserves in the end", Percy says calmly

"What happened?" Artemis asks curiously

She always hated abusive males.

"That will probably be in the books my Lady", Percy replies respectfully, "The events leading up to Gabe's punishment need to be told to get it"

To the Olympians that sounded interesting. What did Percy do to Gabe?

"I hope you gave him what he deserved", Hazel says darkly.

"Oh he got what he deserved all right", Percy says making them even more curious.

Piper starts to read again.

**I walked into our little apartment, hoping my Mum would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television was blaring. Crisps and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.**

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home"**

"**Where's my Mum?"**

"**Working", he said, "You got any cash"**

"The nerve of him", Annabeth mutters.

**That was it. No. **_**Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?**_

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in a thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.**

"Ewww", Aphrodite states turning up her nose at the description.

"Your lucky your never had the _pleasure_ of meeting him my Lady then you would be truly disgusted", Percy states

He shuddered at the memory of Gabe. Boy he hated that guy.

**He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept collecting pay cheques, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our 'guy secret'. Meaning, if I told my Mum, he would punch my lights out.**

Poseidon, Thalia and Nico growl at that.

Everyone was surprised at how protective Thalia and Nico were off their Cousin. It seemed the Percy was just as protective off them. Poseidon, Hades and Zeus wondered how on earth their children put aside their differences and rivalries to become so close. Because Chaos knows they couldn't get on with each other.

"_You lot might what to take lessons", Hera thinks to them mildly_

"_What!?" they yell thinking_

"_If your sons and daughter can get only so can you lot!" Hestia thinks to her brothers _

"_Your dreaming sister. They would never do that", Demeter thinks_

"_They are so unwise if they don't", Athena butts in._

"_Hey!" they exclaim._

They stop as Piper starts to read again.

"**I don't have any cash", I told him**

**He raised a greasy eyebrow.**

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.**

"**You took a taxi from the bus station", he said, "Probably paid twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"**

**Eddie, the superintendent of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe", he said, "The kid just got here"**

"**Am I **_**right?**_**" Gabe repeated**

**Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.**

"Gross", many comment

"Why did that have to be there Apollo?" Thalia scowls

"Hey it is not THIS awesome me who did this!" Apollo protests, "And blame you favourite cousins thoughts"

"Hey I'm her favourite cousin!" Nico exclaims

"No that would be me Corpse Breath", Percy states.

Annabeth groans this old argument again. These three always did this.  
"Piper read quickly", Annabeth orders

"**Fine", I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose"**

"**Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"**

**I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's 'study'. He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.**

**I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.**

"That is no home Perseus", Hestia says softly

"It was for a time Lady Hestia", Percy states

"Call me Hestia", Hestia insists

Percy smiles, "I believe you will have this conversation with me again in a few years. I still go by what I said then"

"And what was that?" Hestia asks

Everyone was curious about that too.

"You're the Goddess that deserves the most respect. You are the Eldest Daughter of Kronos. But Hope survives best at the Hearth. You keep your family together. So I bow to you out off respect", Percy explains as best he could.

Everyone was surprised at that.

"You don't bow to anyone else?" Zeus ask scowling

"I bow to Dad and Lady Artemis. And you too Uncle", Percy replies rolling his eyes.

"Why me Perseus?" Artemis asks curiously

"Our of respect I have for you and Zoe Nightshade", Percy replies softly remembering the Huntresses who he had become friends with.

The same Huntress that knew she would die on the quest to save her Lady. But still went anyway. Her death he felt guilty about. She shouldn't have needed to die if he had been a _little_ faster on freeing Artemis.

The Gods were shocked that Percy Jackson. A male. Had so much respect for a Hunter of Artemis. And not just any. But Artemis's loyal Lieutenant. Who absolutely _hated_ men.

"Lets continue on. Zoe's story will come soon enough. I am sure. If not I'll tell it out of respect for her", Percy states

Artemis was shocked. Why did this son of her Uncle respect her Lieutenant so much? She could hear the respect and was that _guilt_ in his voice. What was the story of Zoe Nightshade and Percy Jackson?

The other Gods nod but where going to remember this. Piper starts reading again.

**Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs Dodds, or the sound of the fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.**

**But soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic – how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone – something – was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.**

Everyone frowns. Why on earth was Percy feeling like that? What the hell was going on? Sure he was the Son of Poseidon but this wasn't normal. Even for children of the Big Three.

**Then I heard my Mum's voice. "Percy?"**

**She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.**

**My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkled and changed colour in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few grey streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe.**

"She sounds like a great woman", Persephone starts

"She is", most of the demigods say

Poseidon wonders when all these demigods had meet Sally.

"**Oh, Percy", she hugged me tight. "I can't believe it, You've grown since Christmas!"**

**Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy stop in Grand Central. She bought me a huge bag of 'free samples', the way she always did when I came home. **

**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**

**I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.**

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally – how about some bean dip, huh?"**

**I gritted my teeth.**

Poseidon growls. He would kill this man after all this was over and set Sally and young Perseus up somewhere nice.

Artemis growls at this pig of a man. She wanted to turn him into a Jackolope and Hunt him down.

**My Mum is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not some jerk like Gabe.**

**For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin, And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the Headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really had. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofitt suddenly didn't seem so bad.**

"Really you would miss Nancy?" Grover asks a little bit amused.

"Lapse of thinking", Percy states, "I was under a lot off stress"

"When aren't you", many mutter.

That had the Gods worried. Did everything always fall on the Son of Poseidon?

**Until that trip to the museum…**

"**What?" my Mum asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"**

"**No, Mum"**

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.**

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.**

"**I have a surprise for you", she said. "We're going to the beach"**

"That is bound to cheer Percy up", Thalia replies smiling

"I can't remember a time Percy wasn't smiling on the beach", Nico states

"That's because he HAS always smiled on the beach", Annabeth replies fondly kissing Percy.

"It feels like home", Percy explains after he finishes his kiss with Annabeth.

**My eyes widened. "Montauk?"**

"**Three nights – same cabin"**

"**When?"**

**She smiled. "As soon as I get changed"**

**I couldn't believe it. My Mum and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two Summers, because Gabe there wasn't enough money.**

**Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"**

**I wanted to punch him, but I met my Mum's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.**

"**I was on my way, honey", she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip"**

**Gabe's eyes got small, "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"**

"**I knew it", I muttered, "He won't let us go"**

"**Of course he will", my Mum said evenly, "Your stepfather is just worried about money. That's all. Besides", she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend, Guacamole. Sour cream. The works"**

**Gabe softened a bit, "So this money for your trip . . . it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"**

"That bastard", many mutter.

"**Yes, honey", my Mother said.**

"**And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back"**

"**We'll be very careful"**

"Sure", many mutter.

**Gabe scratched his double chin, "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip . . . And maybe if the kid apologies for interrupting my poker game"**

**Maybe if I kick your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week.**

**But my Mum's eyes warned me not to make him mad.**

**Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?**

"**I'm sorry", I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now"**

"Note the sarcasm there", Leo states smirking.

Calypso rolls her eyes fondly at her boyfriend.

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.**

"**Yeah, whatever", he decided**

**He went back to his game.**

"**Thank you, Percy", my Mum said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about . . . whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"**

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes – the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride – as if my Mum too felt an odd chill in the air.**

**But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-laver dip.**

**An hour later we were ready to leave.**

**Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my Mum's bags to the car. He kept gripping and groaning about losing her cooking – and more important, his '78 Camaro – for the whole weekend.**

"**Not a scratch on this car, brain boy", he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch"**

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.**

**Watching him lumber back towards the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement towards Gabe. **

**The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon. **

"Percy did you just use your powers?" Poseidon asks

"Umm I might have? I didn't even know!" Percy tries to explain

"He is definably your son. Kelp-For-Brains", Athena states

"What does that mean Owl Head?" Poseidon asks glaring at her

Piper coughs and continues.

**Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out. **

**I got in the Camaro and told my Mum to step on it.**

"That car is going to get totalled right?" Thalia asks smirking

Piper sighs they were _never_ going to finish this chapter.

"Why would you say that?" Percy asks

"It is you Kelp Head", Nico states like it meant everything.

All the demigods laugh. They knew it DID mean everything.

"What does that mean?" Percy asks

"Well you blow up the St Louis Arch", Nico states

"That was…"

"You smashed your way out of the Lotus Casino", Nico states

"That was…"

"You destroyed Circe's Island", Nico states

The other demigods were trying not to laugh at Percy's face. Not noticing the Gods stunned looks.

"That was…"

"You blow up Mount St Helen's", Nico states

"You DID WHAT!" Hephaestus, Poseidon and Zeus yell

Many off the other Gods were downright stunned. Just how powerful was Percy Jackson?

"I hate you", Percy says to Nico as the rest of the demigods laugh.

"No you don't I'm your favourite cousin", Nico replies smirking

"No that would be me!" Thalia states glaring at Nico

"No it is definably me", Nico says

"There is only one way to settle this", Thalia says

Percy wanted to groan. He knew what was going to happen next.  
"Perce dear cousin who do you like best? Corpse Breath…", Thalia starts giving him puppy-dog eyes.

"Or Pinecone Face?" Nico finishes smirking

"Piper start reading", Percy demands not wanting to get into this argument again.

The others were snicker.

Percy was wondering if it was pick on Percy day, or week, or month, or year.

Piper coughs and quickly starts readying again.

"Nice save", Annabeth mutters to Percy

Percy nods it was.

**Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.**

**I loved the place.**

"Because you're the Son of the Sea God", Frank mutters

Percy glares at Frank.

"I hate spiders. Did it have to be spiders", Annabeth asks shuttering remembering going up against Arachne.

Percy places an arm around her in comfort. Knowing what she was thinking.

**We'd been going here since I was a baby. My Mum had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she met my Dad.**

Poseidon smiles fondly remembering his meeting with Sally Jackson. It was truly a time he was going to remember.

**As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the colour of the sea.**

**We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my Mum had bought back from work.**

**I guess I should explain the blue food.**

"Please do", Calypso says confused at all the blue food.

"It is his favourite", Thalia, Nico and Annabeth say together.

**See, Gabe had once told my Mum there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my Mun went out of her way to eat blue, She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This – along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs Ugliano – was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.**

**When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mum told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about boos she wanted to write someday when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.**

**Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk – my Father. Mum's eyes went misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.**

"**He was kind Percy", she said, "Tall, handsome and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes"**

Poseidon was shocked by how kind she was talking about him. Considering her situation. She was still so kind about him. Making sure Percy didn't blame him.

He owed Sally more then he could ever repay her in this life time.

**Mum finished a blue jelly bean out of the candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud"**

**I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me. A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.**

"I AM proud off you my son", Poseidon says giving Percy a hug, "I am sorry you didn't know that"

"I have know it after this situation. But yes at the time I didn't think you would be proud off me", Percy reveals

"I will ALWAYS be proud off you", Poseidon vows.

"Enough lets keep going", Zeus orders

Poseidon rolls his eyes and sits back on his throne.

"**How old was I?" I asked, "I mean . . . when he left?"**

**She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach, This cabin"**

"**But . . . he knew me as a baby"**

"**No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born"**

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember . . . something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.**

Poseidon wondered how his son remembered that.

"You remembered that?" Poseidon asks needing confirmation.  
"Yes. I take it, it wasn't a false memory or hallucination?" Percy asks him.

"No it wasn't. I _needed_ to see you in person just once", Poseidon admits

Zeus was grumbling in his throne. Something about 'Ancient Laws' and 'No respect'.

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My Mum had never said it outright, but still. I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me . . .**

**I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on the ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my Mum. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**

"I deserve that", Poseidon says knowing what he did was wrong.

Stupid law.

Many off the other Gods and Goddesses thought the same thing.

"**Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"**

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire. **

"**I don't know, honey", her voice was heavy, "I think . . . I think we'll have to do something"**

"**Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**

**My Mum's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight, "Oh, Percy, no. I – I **_**have**_** to honey. For your own good. I have to send you away"**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr Brunner had said – that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**

"**Because I'm not normal", I said**

"You have _never_ been normal Kelp Head", Thalia comments

"And you ask me to call you my favourite Cousin", Percy comments back.

"Well I am aren't I?" Thalia asks

"No that belongs to me!" Nico states.

Annabeth groans. She wishes they would get this go. Annabeth motioned for Piper to quickly start reading before the Trio of Cousins started again.

"**You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe"**

"**Safe from what?"**

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me – all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to mem some of which I'd tried to forget.**

**During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.**

**Before that – a really early memory. I was in Pre school and a teacher accidently put me down fir a nap in a cot that had a snake had slithered into. My Mum screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strange to death with my meaty toddler hands.**

Poseidon swears. His son wasn't even safe as a toddler. He should have fought for Sally and Percy to come to Atlantis. So that way he could protect his most vulnerable son.

**In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**

**I knew I should tell my Mum about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucinations that I half sliced my maths teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.**

"**I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could", my Mum said. "They told me that was a mistake, But there's only one other option, Percy – the place your father wanted to send you, And I just . . . I just can't stand to do it"**

"**My father wanted me to go to a special school?"**

"**Not a school", she said softly. "A Summer camp"**

**My head was spinning. Why would my Dad – who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born – talk to my Mum about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?**

"**I'm sorry, Percy", she said. Seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I – I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean goodbye to you for good"**

"**For good? But if its only a summer camp…"**

**She turned towards the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.**

"Poor Sally", Meg says feeling sorry to the kind woman who took her in with no questions asked.

**That night I had a vivid dream.**

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horses muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.**

"What the Hades are you two fighting about?" Athena asks, nothing was piecing together.

"Stop using my name as a curse word!" Hades growls exasperated.

He was sick, SICK of people using his name as a curse word.

"You should be used to it by now", Demeter mutters

"What was the Demeter?" Hades asks glaring at his Sister/Mother-in-Law.

Persephone gives her Mother a look. She really didn't want a fight between her Mother and Husband at the moment.

**I ran towards them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horses wide eyes, and I screamed, **_**No!**_

"You were going to get in between us?" Zeus asks stunned.

"Well I didn't know the truth then", Percy replies with a helpless shrug.

"My favourite cousin is an idiot", Nico groans

"What do you mean he is your favourite?"

"Oh for crying out loud! Piper please continue and finish this", Reyna begs, she was getting sick of the Trio of Cousins together real quick.

How did Annabeth and the others survive it?

**I woke with a start.**

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and five-metre-high waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

**With the next thunderclap, mu Mum woke. She sat up eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane"**

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never saw hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I head a distant bellowing, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.**

"What are you fighting about?" most Gods mutter looking at Zeus to Poseidon and back again.

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice – someone yelling, pounding in out cabin door.**

**My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock. **

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't exactly Grover.**

"**Searching all night", he gasped. "What were you thinking?"**

"I wasn't exactly thinking was I?" Percy says sarcastically, "How was I supposed to know I had been up against a fury and then the fates?"

**My Mother looked at me in terror – not scarred of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

"**Percy", she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"**

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.**

"_**O Zeu kai alloi theoi"**_**, he yelled, "It's right behind me! Didn't you **_**tell**_** her?"**

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had got here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his trousers on – and where his legs should be . . . where his legs should be . . .**

"Look Grover you broke poor Percy", Thalia jokes laughing

"Come on. What was I meant to think?" Percy asks glaring at his Cousins and the others that were laughing, "This is your fault Grover", he points at his satyr best friend.  
"Me?" Grover asks innocently

"Yes you! I will get my revenge for this", Percy states

"What are you going to do?" Grover asks nervously

"Two words again plus another word to go with it. Wedding. Dress. Photos", Percy says smirking at Grover's pale face.

"You have photos!" Grover yelps making Annabeth and Clarisse laugh.

"Oh yes. And don't try to destroy them", Percy says laughing

"Because we have copies", Clarisse replies laughing.

"Damn it. Please Perce, Clarisse, Annabeth don't show them", Grover begs, "I'll do anything"

"What is with this 'Wedding Dress' business? It sounds like a funny story", Apollo asks smirking.

"Oh it is. Involves a blind cyclopes wanting _goat_ for dinner, ladies clothes, a wedding dress, a near wedding ceremony and the plan of a wedding nig…", Percy starts put was tackled by Grover.

Laughter was going around the room. Oh they couldn't wait to hear the whole story behind that. Even the few stern Romans were cracking smiles.

"Oh I can't wait to hear that", Hermes says laughing hard.

Grover grumbles as he sits down after being pulled off Percy by a laughing Nico and Thalia. He prayed to the Fates that everyone wouldn't hear the whole story. It was a low point in his life. Truly.

Damn how come he didn't know that Percy and Clarisse had evidence of his humiliation? Oh bugger he hoped they didn't show them to Jupiter or the Council he would _never, ever_ live that down.

Damn he would HAVE to find those photos.

**My Mum looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "**_**Percy. **_**Tell me **_**now!"**_

**I stammered something about old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs Dodds, and my Mum stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. **_**Go!"**_

**Grover ran fir the Camaro – but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about muscultar disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**

**Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves…  
**"That is the end of the chapter", Piper announces

"Thank Goodness. That seemed to go on forever", Katie states

"That is because of the arguments about favourite Cousins", Travis starts

"Don't!" many demigods try and stop him.

"Percy I'm you favourite cousin right?"

"It has to be me! I saved his ass in the Underworld"

"I made sure he wasn't eaten by monsters!"

Percy was getting a headache. And so was everyone else. But he had a question of his own.

"Hey I'm your favourite cousin right Thalia? Or you Nico?"

That just started a new argument between the close Cousins. None wanting to admit they were all favourited by the others. And they were all equal. Their pride was on the line and all…

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**Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)**


	5. Chapter 5: My First Mortal Enemy

**The writing in ALL writing in black belongs to Rick Riordan. **

* * *

**Updates: 28/08/2020**

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**Happy 28th Birthday too me! Also Happy 54th Birthday to my Dad. **

**And like I do every year for my stories here is an update for you!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: My First Mortal Enemy **

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"Who would like to read now?" Piper asks after the Cousins had stopped fighting and they had, had a food and toilet break.

Well they stopped because of Annabeth threatening the Trio.

The Gods had looked amused and in awe of how close the Trio of Cousins were.

How come Zeus, Hades and Poseidon couldn't be like that? Hera, Demeter and Hestia were wondering if seeing these three and how well they got on would change anything.

Others wondered if the other Gods, mainly Artemis and Apollo, could learn a lesson off how to be siblings by watching them.

"I will", Nico says smirking

"Great", Percy mutters

**Chapter 4: My Mother Teaches me Bullfighting**

Thalia snorts, "Really?"

"Just keep reading Nico", Annabeth says before Percy could start

**We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashes the windshield. I didn't know how my Mum could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.**

**Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet trousers.**

"Really Perce?" Grover asks

Thalia and Nico snicker. And several others snicker.

"Continue", Annabeth orders Nico.

**But, no, the smell was one I remembered from Kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo – lanolin, like from wool. The smell of wet barnyard animals.**

**All I could think to say was, "So, you and mu Mum . . . know each other?"**

**Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us.**

"**Not exactly", he said, "I mean we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you"**

"Grover that sounded all wrong", Katie states

"It makes you sound like a stalker Goat Boy", Clarisse says smirking.

"And some weird creep", Chris states smirking

"**Watching me?"**

"**Keeping Tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend", he added hastily, "I **_**am**_** your friend"**

"**Um . . . what **_**are **_**you, exactly?"**

"**That doesn't matter right now"**

"**It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey –"**

"Donkey?" Clarisse states snickering

"Does he really look like a donkey Kelp Head?" Thalia asks chuckling

"Give me a break this was all new to me. Back then", Percy replies

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty, **_**"Blaa-ha-ha!"**_

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.**

"**Goat!" he cried**

"**What?"**

"**I'm a **_**goat**_** from the waist down"**

"**You just said it didn't matter"**

"_**Blaa-ha-ha! **_**There are satyrs who would trample you under hoof for such an insult!"**

"**Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like . . . Mr Brunner's myths?"**

"**Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a **_**myth**_**, Percy? Was Mrs Dodds a myth?"**

"**So you **_**admit**_** there was a Mrs Dodds!"**

"**Of course"**

"**Then why –"**

"**The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract", Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious, "We put Mist over the human's eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are"**

"**Who I – wait a minute, what do you mean?"**

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.**

"**Percy", my Mum said, "There's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety"**

"**Safety from what? Who's after me?"**

"**Oh, nobody much", Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment, "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood thirstiest minions"**

"HADES!" Poseidon booms going for his trident again

"I haven't down anything yet", Hades replies

"Dad stop! Everything will be explained. And I don't blame you Uncle Hades. Under the circumstances it was completely understandable", Percy tells them

"Was Hades involved in this fight with Father and Poseidon too?" Athena asks

"Not much. But he was involved in a different way that we only found out later", Annabeth tells her Mother.

"What had ALL three off you fighting Pops?" Apollo asks

"I can't think of anything", Zeus replies

"Well your going to have one off the biggest arguments you ever had and Percy is right in the middle off it", Thalia tells them

"You weren't there", Percy points out.

Thalia shrugs, "Everyone told me about it", Thalia replies

"Continue Nico"

"**Grover!"**

"**Sorry, Mrs Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.**

**My Mum made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES sign on white picket fences,**

"**Where are we going?" I asked**

"**The Summer Camp I told you about", my Mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared, "The place your Father wanted to send you"**

"**The place you didn't want me to go"**

"**Please, dear", my Mother begged, "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger"**

"At the time I just didn't know just how much danger I was in", Percy comments

"**Because some old ladies cut yarn"**

"**Those weren't old ladies", Grover said, "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means – the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to . . . when someone's about to die"**

"So they were the Fates?" Katie asks

"Yes they were", Percy confirms

"Then how have you lasted this long?" Leila asks curiously

"Because what I saw the Fates doing wasn't about me", Percy tells them

"Who was it about?" Athena asks

"You will find out", Percy states.

"Continue Nico", Annabeth says

"**Whoa. You said **_**'you'**_**"**

"**No I didn't. I said '**_**someone;**_**"**

"**You meant 'You'. As in me"**

"**I meant you, like 'someone'. Not you, **_**you**_**"**

"**Boys!" my Mum said**

**She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid – a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.**

"That doesn't sound good", Apollo comments

"It wasn't", Percy says grimacing

"**What was that?" I asked**

"**We're almost there", my Mother said, ignoring my question, "Another mile. Please. Please. Please"**

**I didn't know where **_**there**_** was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness – the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs Dobbs and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really **_**hadn't **_**been human. She'd meant to kill me.**

**Then I thought about Mr Brunner . . . and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flask, a jaw-rattling **_**boom!,**_** and our car exploded.**

"There goes the car", Clarisse says amused

"Totally called it", Thalia says smirking

"Where you and Sally ok Percy?" Poseidon asks concerned.  
"We were fine. Mostly", Percy replies trying to reassure his father.

"So does this happen a lot to you Percy?" Frank asks curious

Percy didn't want to comment.

"I wonder how we survived you as Praetor", Reyna states

"I wasn't Praetor long", Percy states

"This happens more often then you think. There are…", Grover starts

"Remember Grover…photos…wedding dress", Percy threatens his best friend.

Grover winces and shuts up. He really needed to find those pictures.

"Continue Nico", Percy orders

**I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crashed, fried and hosed down all at the same time. **

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the drivers seat and said, "Ow"**

"**Percy!" my Mum shouted.**

"Where you ok?" Poseidon asks his son in concern

"I was fine. But many things are about to happen", Percy tells them

"Like what?" Hermes asks curiously

"Oh just making my _first_ mortal enemy", Percy mutters

"Mortal enemy?" the Gods ask wide-eyed.

"What do you mean_ first_?" Poseidon asks his son.  
"Just that. First. Nico continue", Percy orders

"**I'm okay…"**

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our drivers-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain pouring in.**

**Lightning. That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump.**

"**Grover!"**

**He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking. No! even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die.**

"You really care about me that much?" Grover asks Percy

"Of course I do! You were my first true friend", Percy tells him

Grover gives him a smile

"So sweet", Piper says softly

"Nico continue", Poseidon orders

**Then he groaned, "Food", and I knew there was hope.**

"**Percy", my Mother says, "We have to…", her voice faltered.**

**I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud spattered ear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering towards us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.**

"What the…", Leo states

"It can't be what I think it is can it?" Athena asks

"I am not saying", Percy tells them

"Why?" Poseidon asks

"Because you will not like the answer", Percy replies simply

"How did you survive?" Artemis asks

"Luck and instinct", Percy replies

"What are you talking about?" Poseidon asks worriedly

"You will see", Grover tells the Sea God, "But you won't like it"  
"There is not much I am liking anyway", Poseidon mutters

**I swallowed hard, "Who is –"**

"**Percy", my Mother says, deadly serious, "Get out of the car"**

**My mother threw herself against the drivers-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.**

"**Climb out the passengers side!", my Mother told me, "Percy – you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"**

"**What?"**

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas-tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.**

"**That's the property line", my Mum says, "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door"**

"**Mum, you're coming too"**

**Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.**

Percy noticed Poseidon looked guilty at that.

"I never realised just how much she cared for me", Poseidon says softly

"She still does. Even now", Percy replies

"Is she happy?" Poseidon asks

"Yes she is married and had my half-sister. But like I said she still cares for you", Percy tells him honestly

"Continue", Zeus orders not comfortable with the display of affection.

All the Goddesses roll their eyes at him.

"**No!" I shouted, "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover"**

"**Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.**

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming towards us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer. I realised he **_**couldn't**_** be holding a blanket our his head, because his hands – huge meaty hands – were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head…was his head. And the points that he looked like horns…**

"**He doesn't want **_**us**_**", my Mother told me, "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line"**

"**But…"**

"**We don't have time Percy. Go. Please"**

"Just listen to her", Will states

"He has _never_ been good at following orders", Annabeth comments smiling slightly

"Really?" Reyna asks

"Yes", Thalia and Nico exclaim

Percy scowls at them.  
"I thought it was just us he wouldn't listen too", Reyna tells them

"Nope it is everyone. Even the Gods", Thalia says smirking at her Cousin/Brother.

"Just continue Nico", Percy replies wanting this line of conversation to stop.

**I got mad, then – mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering towards us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.**

Poseidon curses now recognising the monster.

**I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain.**

"**We're going together. Come on, Mum"**

"**I told you –"**

"**Mum! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover"**

"There he goes", Nico states

"Even at 12 he starts bossing people around", Thalia teases

"Oh shut up Pinecone Head", Percy tells her flicking her with water

Thalia scowls at him.

"Watch it with the water", Thalia warns  
"So Perseus has a habit of ordering people around?" Athena asks

"Yes!" every Greek Demigod says.

"He has even led us into battle and…", Travis tells them

"…war", Conner finishes

"I got to admit Prissy has good battle instincts", Clarisse admits

"What do you mean battle and war?" Zeus asks

"You will find out", the demigods say again.

**I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my Mum hadn't come to my aid.**

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through we waist-high grass.**

**Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of **_**Muscle Man**_** magazine – bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear – I mean, bright white Fruit-of-the-Looms, which would've been funny except for the top half of his body. Coarse brown hair started at about his bellybutton and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.**

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.**

**I recognised the monster. All right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.**

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. **

"**That's –"**

"**Pasiphae's son", my Mother says, "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you"**

"**But a he's a min –"**

"**Don't say his name", she warned, "Names have power"**

"Good advice", Artemis mutters

"Wish more demigods knew that", Athena states

**The pine tree was still way too far – a hundred metres uphill at least.**

**I glanced behind me again.**

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows – or not looking, exactly. More like sniffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why be bothered, since we were only about fifteen metres away.**

"**Food?" Grover moans**

"Really Grover? Even unconscious all you can think about is food?" Annabeth asks

"Hey it is not like I _knew_ I was saying it", Grover says defending himself.

"**Shhh", I told him, "Mum, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"**

"**His sight and hearing are terrible", she says, "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough"**

**As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.**

'_**Not a scratch'**_**, I remembered Gabe saying.**

**Oops.**

"Your not a bit sorry about wreaking his car are you?" Annabeth asks Percy

"Nup", Percy replies smirking  
"No feeling guilty?" Pollux asks

"Not in the slightest", Percy replies instantly

Because he wasn't sorry. Gabe was a bastard too him. So he hadn't and still doesn't feel sorry about the car or what ended up happening to Gabe.

"I wouldn't either", Chris mutters understanding where Percy was coming from.

"**Percy", my Mum says, "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way – directly sideways. He can't change direction very well once he's charging, Do you understand?"**

"**How do you know all this?"**

"That is what I am wondering", Will states

"She may be clear-sighted but how could she know all she knows?" Hazel wonders

"She had always been full of surprises", Poseidon tells them smiling wistfully

"She is a good woman. She took care off me when she didn't even now me", Meg tell them

"Same here", Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, Clarisse, Calypso, Katie, Piper, Will all say

Poseidon looks shocked at that. He never expected that Sally would be so involved with demigods other then her own son. But she WAS a kind hearted woman.

"**I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me"**

"**Keeping me near you? But –"**

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.**

**He'd smelled us.**

**The pine tree was only a few more metres, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.**

**The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.**

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover, "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said"**

**I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right – it was out only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.**

"Rotten meat?" Leo and Meg chuckle  
"Well he did and he still doesn't smell any better these days", Percy tells them

"What do you mean?" Poseidon asks his son

Percy curses his big mouth.

"I will tell you after this chapter", Percy promises, "Nico continue"

**He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.**

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, nut that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.**

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not towards me this time, towards my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.**

**We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.**

**The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back towards the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.**

"**Run, Percy!" she told me, "I can't go any further. Run!"**

**But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummelling the air.**

"**Mum!"**

"Sally!" Poseidon exclaims looking upset.

**She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"**

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mothers neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply . . . gone. **

"What does that mean?" Frank asks

"Someone Divine has taken her", Athena explains grimly, "And probably not for anything good"

"If whoever took her harms a hair on her head they will feel my wrath", Poseidon growls

Percy felt more affection for his Father. His Father really _did_ care for his Mother.

"**No!"**

**Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs – the same rush of energy I'd got when Mrs Dodds grew talons.**

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make his dissolve too.**

**I couldn't allow that.**

**I stripped off my red rain jacket.**

"**HEY!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster, "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"**

"**Raaaarrrrr!" the monster turned towards me, shaking his meaty fists.**

**I had an idea – a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all.**

All demigods groan.

"This can't be good", Annabeth moans

"Hey!" Percy says taking offence

"Well was it a stupid or reckless plan?" she asks him

Percy decided to remain quiet as it was a reckless plan.

"The silence speaks for itself", Thalia states, "My stupid Cousin is about to do something incredibly stupid and reckless"

"I can agree to that", Nico pipes up.

"Just continue Nico", Percy replies sighing.

**I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.**

**But it didn't happen like that.**

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.**

**Time slowed down.**

**My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creatures head, using it as a springboard, turning in mid-air and landing on his neck.**

"Percy you didn't!" Annabeth exclaims

Percy winces at the looks everyone was giving him.

"Give me a break I didn't have much knowledge at the time", he tells them

"Utterly stupid…", Annabeth continues to mutter curses about idiotic boyfriends.

"I think it is cool", Leo tells them, "Can't wait to try that!"

Calypso smacks his head, "If you ever _think_ of doing that you will be cut of for a very, _very _long time if you get my meaning"

"Shutting up", Leo says immediately to the laughter going around.

"It would be cool to try it", Meg admits

Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.  
"I was just saying!" she exclaims

**How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monsters head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.**

**The bull-man staggered, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.**

**The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realise that this thing had only one gear: forward.**

**Meanwhile Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.**

"**Food!" Grover moaned**

**The bull-man wheeled towards him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backwards with all my might. The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then – **_**snap!**_

Everyone looked at Percy in surprise.  
"Did you just…", Reyna asks leaving the question hanging

"Yes I did", Percy admits

Everyone, even the Gods looked impressed.

"We are going to have dual one day kid", Ares tells him

Percy, Annabeth and Grover look uncomfortable.

"What?" Athena asks noticing the looks they were giving each other.  
"Lets just say that dual already happened and it had a surprising outcome", Percy mutters uncomfortable

"What does that mean?" Apollo asks curiously

"You will find out soon enough", Percy replies, "And when they do they will realise who is now my Mortal Enemy number _two_", Percy says quietly

Lucky for him none of the Gods heard him. The only ones who did were lucky Annabeth and Grover.

**The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass, My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had the horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.**

**The monster charged.**

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and camp up kneeling. As the monster barrelled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rub cage.**

**The bull-man roared in agony. He failed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate – not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs Dodds had burst apart.**

**The monster was gone.**

"That was awesome!" Travis and Conner exclaim

"I agree that was impressive. I hope we get to see that", Apollo states

"I hope we see that too", Hermes agrees.

Artemis rolls her eyes at them.  
"Men", she mutters.

"So you really did that?" Meg asks

"Yes", Percy replies

"Can you show me how to do that?" Leo asks but Calypso slaps his head and gives him a pointed look.

**The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief. I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and staggered down into the valley, towards the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover – I wasn't going to let him go.**

**The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light and the stern faces of a familiar-looking beared man ana pretty girl, her blonde hair curled like Cinderella's. **

"Really Cinderella?" Thalia snickers

"Shut up Thunder bug", Percy scowls

"WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT CALLING ME THAT!?" Thalia yells

Percy gives her an innocent look.

"I have _no_ idea what your talking about", Percy lies to her smiling innocently.

Thalia's eyes narrow at her favourite cousin.

**They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be"**

"**Silence, Annabeth", the man says, "He's still conscious. Bring him inside"**

"That is the end of that chapter", Nico announces.

"Should I except more stunts like that from you Percy?" Poseidon asks

Percy shrugs.  
"Demigods?" Poseidon asks

"Yes!" everyone yells

Poseidon groans.

"My son is going to give me grey hairs", Poseidon mutters as his brother snicker quietly at him.

"Traitors", Percy mutters

"So what did you mean about his smell not getting any better?" Poseidon asks his son.

"Lets just say he took an offence to that defeat and has decided that I am now his mortal enemy. So every time he reforms he comes after me", Percy admits

Everyone looked at him incredulously.

"Really?" many asks

"Yes", Percy admits

"Your mortal enemy is the minotaur?" Hermes asks not believing it.

"My _first_ mortal enemy is ground beef", Percy admits

"FIRST!?" Poseidon bellows

"Ummm yeh"

Poseidon and nearly everyone else looks at him in disbelief.

Percy cursed Apollo out again.

'_Apollo when we get back you will know your now MY mortal enemy'_

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)**


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